MONOLITHIC COMPOSITE PERISCOPE FAIRING

SUBMARINE PERISCOPE AND ANTENNA MAST ASSEMBLIES ARE CURRENTLY CONFIGURED WITH AN INTERNAL METALLIC STRUCTURAL MEMBER SURROUNDED BY A TWO PIECE FRP FAIRING. THE FORWARD AND AFT FAIRING COMPONENTS ARE MECHANICALLY FASTENED TO THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE ALONG THEIR EDGES. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF DESIGNING AND FABRICATING A ONE PIECE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY COMPOSITE STRUCTURE TO REPLACE THE EXISTING BUILT-UP CONFIGURATION. THE PROPOSED EFFORT WILL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES: 1. ESTABLISH APPLICABLE DESIGN CRITERIA; 2. CONDUCT PRELIMINARY DESIGN STUDY; 3. EXAMINE TOOLING REQUIREMENTS; AND 4. DEVELOP PROGRAM OUTLINE AND ESTIMATE COSTS FOR PROTOTYPE AND PRODUCTION FABRICATION.